A/N: I changed the rating to T, because of some violence in this chapter. And I want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm for this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or any of its characters.
Chris walked through a dark tunnel. The only light come from a ball of orbs that floated above his hand. The tunnel was part of the caves in which the resistance had there hideout. It was leading to a secluded part of their shelter. He entered an improvised room. In the corner sat a young teenager. Her knees were drawn and she had a doll in her arms, which she softly spoke to.
"Hey, Penny." At hearing his voice the dark haired girl looked up and gave him a big smile. Even though the world outside was going to hell, the smile little Penny Halliwell still lit up the room.
"Chrissy, your back." She jumped up. "I really-really missed you."
As she ran to him the world seemed to slow down. A man with blond curls and black cloths appeared behind her and grabbing her at the shoulder. A knife appeared out of thin air and the man pressed it to the young girl's throat.
"Wyatt, no!" The scream was all he could do. Chris felt as if he was frozen. He couldn't move or use his power. He only could watch how his brother pushed the knife tighter against Penny's throat. A devious smile appeared on Wyatt's face before he cut the girl's throat. A pale and blood stained Penny fall down. As she lay on the ground Penny's face changed in that of Bianca. A large piece of wood sticking out of the stomach.
"Remember little brother; Melinda will be the next one to die." Wyatt said before orbing out.
Chris jerked up, breathing heavily while the cold sweat was running down his back. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. Glancing at the floor, where his sister was sleeping soundly, he softly smiled. Melinda had refused to take the couch and Chris had known better to argue with her. He got up and used his telekinesis to lift his sister up and placed her on the couch. While getting dressed, he made a mental list of thing he had to do. If he couldn't sleep, there were better things to do, than hang around here.
He made sure Melinda was tucked up before orbing out.
– A few hours later –
Why was she lying upon something soft, was Melinda's first thought as she woke up. At home her bed had been made up of some old blankets. But she wasn't at home; she was in the past where her family was still alive, for as far as they were born anyway. It still was a strange concept to her.
Even before she opened her eyes she sensed that her brother was nowhere near the club. Where ever he was hanging out, he wasn't in any dangers. She quickly got up and got dressed. Time was after all valuable.
Melinda sat on the ground working on a list of magical creatures, when Chris orbed in.
"I won't ask you if you are alright, but please try to sleep, try to eat", she said without looking up. "If want to make it neither of us can be exhausted." Without waiting for a reply, she continued in a lighter voice. "So where were you?"
Chris ignored her first comment. "Getting you an empathy blocking potion", he said while he put a small vial before her.
Melinda pulled up an eyebrow. "You are sure it works."
"Like a charm."
With that she drank the potion.
"If Aunt Phoebe can't feel my emotions, there is only my new power to betray us."
Chris's eyebrows shoot up. "Really? But I thought you couldn't have new powers since Wyatt bound your powers." "Well, he only bound my active witch powers, so apparently we were wrong. Since I can now read and share memories. If I touch someone and they are thinking of a strong memory I can read it, but if I'm the one having a strong memory in my mind then the other can see it."
Chris frowned. "That sounds more like it's gonna give trouble than that it will be useful. Do you have control over it yet?"
Melinda shook her head. "I just found out about three weeks ago."
"Well, then you need to be extra careful around our family. They can't know about the future."
"I know that, but I do think we should tell them about Wyatt. They could help us."
"Do you really think they would believe us?"
"Well, I could use my power on them."
"Someone is eager to use her new power", Chris joked. Melinda stuck her tongue out at her brother. "No, but it might help to convince them."
"With or without them finding out who we are?"
"Yeah, that will be tough to keep secret."
"Talking about them finding out who we are. Mel, there is just one thing you should know. Leo is an Elder."
"What!" She grabbed a pillow of couch and threw it at her brother, who orbed it out of the way before it could hit him. "You are a stupid idiot. Do you want not to be born?"
"I had to become their whitelighter, this was the only way."
"Dad isn't supposed to be an Elder for three year. Now we not only have to save Wyatt, but we also have to bring Mom and Dad together again. That is if we want to be born. You really are a complete idiot."
– At the manor –
Piper sat in the living room giving Wyatt a bottle when Chris and his sister orbed in. "Phoebe, Paige! They are back!"
Melissa sat on the fauteuil when both her sisters entered the room. Chris was pacing around. "Sit down, Idiot", Melissa commanded. Both Phoebe and Paige grinned while Chris growled at the remark.
"How long are you going to call me an idiot?"
"Till you proof me wrong." Another growl came from Chris.
"What did he do", Phoebe asked.
"He is my brother. Do I need a reason to call him an idiot?"
"That's the end, little Miss Smartass. You are gonna answer some questions", Piper got between them. "To be clear, both of you are part-whitelighter and part-witch, right."
"Yeah."
"And you are here to save Wyatt from a demon, right?"
"Well, not exactly."
"Mel", Chris hissed while giving her an angry look.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Actually, we aren't looking for a demon."
"What", the sisters yelled.
"Was all the demon hunting he – Paige pointed at Chris – let us do was for nothing?"
"One, it wasn't for nothing. The less demons the better." Melissa's sounded suddenly a lot harder. "And secondly, Chris didn't know the one who hurts Wyatt wasn't a demon. I just recently found that out and although my source is reliable, seers aren't always as clear as you wish them to be. So we will continue demon hunting as well as investigate which other creatures would want to hurt Wyatt."
"Yeah, more witch duties and less time for a life. Just what we need", Piper said sarcastically.
A moment Piper thought she saw the corners of Melissa's mouth curled up.
"Paige could ask the magical community if anyone has something against Wyatt and as Elder Leo might know something", Chris continued. "Mel and I will seek in the underworld for information. And if Piper and Phoebe investigate the Book of Shadows than we must find something.
"Well, that has to wait. 'Cause I have to show my face at the office for once." Phoebe gave Wyatt a pat on the head. "I will see you tonight", she said to her sisters before leaving.
"And I have to go to my temp job in an hour. But I was wondering; Melissa, do you have any other clothing with you?" The girl looked surprised at Paige and shook her head.
"Come on than, I probably have some old clothing you can have", Paige said while walking out of the room. Melissa quickly went after her.
"I see you in a second, bro", the girl yelled from the hallway.
Piper looked at Chris, who looked a bit uneasy.
"Glad your sister is here", she asked in an attempt to start a conversation.
"I'm still deciding", Chris said, but the gentle smile that appeared on his face showed that he was happy about it. "I will go. Mel knows where to find me." And he had orbed out once again. One day, Piper thought, one day I will ban that power out of her house.
– Upstairs –
Melinda had followed her aunt into the room that in a few years would be Wyatt's. She sat on the bed while Paige was pulling different sets of clothing out of the closet.
While placing more and more clothing next to Melinda Paige said: "Can I ask you something? If you want to change the future, why are you and Chris so afraid to tell us things that might change it?"
"Because we don't want everything to change. Only this one thing."
"But how can we know that the thing you want to change involves saving Wyatt?"
"You just have to trust us." Melinda smiled.
"How can we trust the two of you? Since your brother has been here, he has done nothing other than lie and keeping secrets."
"You can't know the truth, nor would you want it", Melinda said annoyed.
"It's answers like that why we don't trust you."
With every word her aunt said Melinda got more irritated. The Paige she known had trusted her and Chris completely, she thought. That moment the young Paige pushed the pile of clothing in her hands. It was just for a moment that their hands touched, but Melinda felt the memory flow.
She was thirteen and living with Aunt Paige and Uncle Henry, since her mother had died.
It was a day like any other. The whole family was sitting at the dinner table, eating there supper. She sat across Tamora and Katlyn. The auburn haired twins were complaining the amount of homework their teacher in magical history had given them. Aunt Paige asked her brother if there was a girl he liked. They all laughed as he turned red.
That was when suddenly black orbs appeared in the room. Immediately Melinda orbed into the kitchen. As she materialized she saw that her brother and the twins had done the same. From the dining room came a familiar voice. Chris and Melinda looked at each other, not knowing if they were happy or scared at hearing their brother's voice. All they had heard of him since 'the Event' were frightening rumors.
Paige orbed into the kitchen. "You have to orb to safety. I will distract him. Chris, you are the oldest. You are responsible for your sister and my girls, alright?"
"What about you", Chris asked.
"Don't worry about me." Aunt Paige gave them a reassuring smile.
"I love you, Mom", the twin girls said simultaneously. "I love you too. All of you." Smiling at her niece and nephew. "Now go!" Then the four kids orbed away.
With one hand Paige grasped her head. The other griped the doorpost. "What the hell happened?"
"Damn", Melinda yelled for orbing out.